NEW YORK—The 2015 NBA Finals, in which the Golden State Warriors lead the Cleveland Cavaliers 3-2, is the highest-rated ever on ABC through five games, according to Nielsen.
Last night’s Game 5 delivered a 14.2 overnight rating, which is the highest-rated Game 5 on ABC in more than a decade and up 21 percent from an 11.7 for last year’s Game 5 (Miami-San Antonio). The broadcast peaked with an 18.1 from 10:30-10:45 p.m. ET.
The 2015 NBA Finals set another local ratings record for Game 5. In the San Francisco market, the ABC broadcast generated a 33.6 rating, an all-time best for an NBA game on the network. In the Cleveland market, the broadcast delivered a 42.5 rating, making it the third-highest rated NBA game ever on the network (trails only Games 3 and 4).
The NBA Finals is expected to win the night for the 47th consecutive time across all of television (broadcast and cable).
The record-setting 2015 NBA Finals is averaging a 13.5 overnight rating through five games, which is up 27 percent from a 10.6 last year.
Last night’s edition of “NBA Countdown,” ABC’s NBA Finals pre-game show, delivered a 3.7 overnight rating, which was up 28 percent from a 2.9 for last year’s Game 5 pre-game show.
The 2015 NBA Finals will continue with Game 6 on Tuesday, June 16, at 9 p.m. on ABC.
ABC has been the exclusive home of the NBA Finals since the 2002-03 season.
